How long do you think it took for people to carve moai?

Dr. dig responds:
Wasn't that a great article about moai statues in the last issue of dig ("Easter Island's Stone Giants," October 1999 Issue)?

We don't really know how long it took the Easter Islanders to carve a moai statue, because there are no written records that tell us these things - all we can do is guess. The bubbly volcanic stone the moai are carved from is relatively soft and easy to carve (easier than granite, for example) and the features of moai statues are simple - not too fussy and detailed. For these reasons and because there are so many of them, archaeologists figure that moai statues could be made fairly quickly, say, in the space of a few months (rather than years).

Of course, you could try dig's project which tells you how you can carve your own moai statue. How long will it take you to carve yours?